A meleya is a large, black shawl made of nylon or silk, in which the women of Cairo and Alexandria used to wrap themselves completely from head to toe. It was worn as a modesty garment for when they leave the house. The word leff simply means “to wrap”. There is no real ethnic dance with a Meleya. Mahmoud Reda and other choreographers have taken the tradition and created a character piece for the stage. The folkloric dance called the Meleya Leff is usually associated with Alexandria, Egypt. Music and movements that relate to that region are very appropriate for a Meleya dance. The costume is usually short flirty dress with a ruffle that was in fashion when Reda made his choreography, but it could be any dress or galabia and, of course, the meleya. There are a couple of traditional ways to wrap a meleya. Culturally, it is also generally considered strange for a woman to drop or throw her meleya on the ground, unless she is about to get into a fight. So if you want to discard your meleya during your performance, you would probably want to hand it to somebody or place it somewhere. A meleya parody can be done in an Oriental set, even with a silk veil if the mood suits you. It is generally flirty and fun and the dancer sometimes mimics chewing gum.

Shems’s Meleya Leff YouTube Playlist